Conference oass::racers

What was the purpose of this testing?  Did the winner get a NASCAR ride or
something or was it just a school for driving ovals?

You ought to post it in the NASCAR conf as well.

Dave

    So, how does it all end?  Did you make the cut to go to Australia, or
    are there more days coming for folks who just signed up? 
    
    It almost seems too good to be true that there needs to be a "catch" as
    far as the year in Australia goes?  Do the folks who make the cut (25
    of them?) have to put up more $$ or just pay their expenses once
    they're there?  
    

      
       My Solo II codriver went to the NASTRAK test a few weeks ago. There
    was Mike Leathers there who has been running in the Darlington Dash
    series, along with some IMSA racer and a guy with 23 years short track
    experience in the Mid West who is sponsered by Chrysler and has won a
    lot of championships. The fastest lap that day was 145 by the short
    track guy. Mike Leathers was at 143 and my codriver was at 142.
    Actually my codriver was ahead of Leathers all day except for the last
    few laps.

Great report.  I had posted an original entry in this conference someplace 
detailing most of the aspects of the search but it was probably deleted.  I 
congratulate you in taking the jump to try it.  I sure wish I could have.  
Maybe there will be another program like this in the future.

Jilly

.1>  What was the purpose of this testing?  Did the winner get a NASCAR ride or
.1>  something or was it just a school for driving ovals?

    As mentioned in another reply, there had been a topic posted that
    described the NASTRAK program but apparently it has been purged, in any
    case I couldn't find it to post my report as a response.
    
    The program would have accepted up to 1000 entries, although I believe
    they cut off the entries at a lower number.  The entrants all got a
    one-day test as described in .0, with a minimum of 25 laps (read, total
    of 25 laps).  The scoring system was as described, and the top
    twenty-five scores out of the entrants will get an all-expenses paid
    trip  to Australia.  They get a week of sightseeing and then  attend a
    one-week school at the Thunderdrome.  The last day of that school is a
    two-lap qualifying dash, fastest time is winner and next fastest is
    alternate.
    
    The winner gets five races, in Australia, in their NASCAR-style series. 
    Fully sponsored, with all expenses paid, and $3000 "spending money" per
    race.  Expenses include round-trip airfare for two adults and two
    children, to allow family to accompany.  If the winner cannot fulfill a
    race commitment the alternate will do so.  If the winner fails to
    fulfill two successive race commitments he will be disqualified and the
    alternate appointed to run the remaining events.

.1>  You ought to post it in the NASCAR conf as well.
    
    I really don't have enough time for more than one conference about
    racing, this is it.  I may get around to reposting it in the NASCAR
    conference but it's not likely (I'm preparing for DECUS followed by
    vacation, time is a scarce commodity).  If someone else would like to
    repost it there, feel free...
    
    It was expensive, I think Buck Baker's school costs around $1800 for a
    three-day school while this cost $2650 (plus airfare and miscellaneous
    expenses for the trip, I figure total was a little under $3k).  On the
    other hand, the upside potential is signficant - I won't know the
    results until after testing finishes (around 12/20) but I'm not really
    optimistic right now.  The accuracy was questionable, after my long
    time out of the cockpit, and the competition was a lot stiffer than I'd
    have liked!  
    
    Also, I don't know how it compares to a simple school format as far as
    the cars and the speeds.  I suspect this was running at a higher level
    and got there a lot quicker.  The cars will be shipped to Australia
    when the testing is done, then used for the school for the finalists. 
    After that they will be sold to Australian racers, except I'd guess the
    NASTRAK folks will keep some of them for their own use.  So they are
    truly race-ready, topline equipment.  I know for certain that they were
    a lot more car than I'd ever had under me before!
    
    In the introductory talk the NASTRAK people said that they had not had
    one person leave dissatisfied.  I wondered about that, figuring I was
    likely to feel dissatisfied if I didn't feel I had a good chance of
    making the finals.  But I think it was true, they gave good value and
    it was fun!  Even if I didn't achieve my most ambitious expectations,
    I'm completely satisfied that I was able to accomplish a performance I
    found respectable, in very competitive company.
    
    The only real criticism I might have of the program is that they
    stressed that the scoring would reflect talent not experience.  In fact
    I do not believe that it is possible to eliminate a bias favoring
    experience, or more precisely recent practice.  So this may've been a
    little misleading, but as I said before, they still gave good value and
    I think everyone there was satisfied!

    Awesome, Bruce!  Sounds like great fun.  Good luck in the eliminations.
    
    By the way, I hope you were wearing a real man's pair of boots and not
    some of those fruity Simpson ballet slippers.  (Many :-)s)

.2>    So, how does it all end?  Did you make the cut to go to Australia, or
.2>    are there more days coming for folks who just signed up? 
    
    As I mentioned in my last reply, there is still more testing coming so
    results are still not in, but I don't expect to make the cut - I'm
    still harboring faint hopes of a miracle, but realize that is what it
    would take!
    
    The mention of folks that just signed up is what motivated this reply. 
    In the previous reply I think I mentioned that they had cut off
    entries, I think this was because of the test schedule.
    
    They told me that they are already offering entries received after the
    cutoff a chance to enter next year's program.  They also said that a
    lot of the people who have done the program this year are already
    asking about doing it again.
    
.2>    It almost seems too good to be true that there needs to be a "catch" as
.2>    far as the year in Australia goes?  Do the folks who make the cut (25
.2>    of them?) have to put up more $$ or just pay their expenses once
.2>    they're there?  
    
    Not even pay their expenses.  And the overall winner not only gets
    expense paid trips to a fully sponsored ride, they get paid cash
    dollars.
    
    I was a little hesitant because it did seem too good to be true.  In
    fact it seems very likely to be true.  Some educated guesstimates and a
    little math figured out that it can be really very profitable for them
    even delivering everything promised.  If anyone has a better idea than
    I do of the operating costs for a Winston Cup car, and/or Charlotte
    Motor Speedway, we could even refine the guesstimate.  Here's my first
    pass approximation:
    
    The maximum limit on entries was 1000, and the contract indicated they
    could cancel if less than 300 entries were received by a deadline.  (I
    was told they already were considerably over the minimum before I sent
    mine.)  This figures out to gross revenues in the range of $795,000 to
    $2,650,000 for the entries.  Other revenues come from resale of the
    cars (recovering capital investment) and perhaps some sponsorships
    (these can also help offset operating costs).  I'd consider the other
    revenues as marginal at best, but I think the whole program can be
    profitable ignoring them.
    
    I figure the cost of the trips to five races for the winner to be in
    the neighborhood of $50,000 plus the ride, so they have a cost of
    probably less than $100k for the winner's prize.  The trips for the
    twenty-five finalists will cost them between $50k to $75k plus the
    school cost.  Given they are using their own cars, they have just
    operating costs for the cars plus the track for a week.  I figure the
    entire Australian end of the deal has a cost of under $250k, maybe as
    low as $200k.  They also have a capital investment in the cars, which
    they can try to recoup by selling them in Australia.  Call this a wash,
    or close to it (ignore the time cost of the money, it's covered by the
    profit margin on the whole project).  They have the costs of testing
    here in the US.  That amounts to the track rental, operating costs of
    the cars, bus from motel to track, office overhead, etc.  They also
    cover motel rooms for all entrants, one night at about $21 per each (in
    a double), plus lunch at the track (sandwiches, drinks, etc.) and
    coffee and donuts.  Don't know the insurance situation (I feel slightly
    remiss to not have investigated that aspect closely).  Costs are tough
    to estimate for all that, but I'd expect economies of scale really kick
    in a lot.  At twenty people a day they need between 15 and 50 track
    days, not sure what that really will cost, but I'd bet they get a
    fairly good deal from the track when Richard Petty walks in and asks
    for that many days.
    
    Another way to look at the US track testing costs is to figure the
    revenues, deduct the estimated costs of the Australian end, and see
    what's left.  I make that a fairly well fixed cost for the Australian
    end of about $250k, even using the minimum revenue base that represents
    only one third of the revenues.  In other words, there is just over
    $1800 per entrant available to cover costs of the US program, and that
    number goes up as the number of entrants goes up.  At 500 entrants it
    would be $2150, and for the full 1000 it would be $2400.
    
    Since they indicated 300 was the minimum, that is probably very close
    to the breakeven point.  They may be willing to take a small loss to
    establish the program, but I'd be more inclined to expect that they
    project a small profit at that level (at least for favorable
    assumptions).  So, I would guesstimate that they probably spend at most 
    $1500 per each entrant.  This also jibes with the cost for the Buck
    Baker school being around $1800, in fact that figure suggests an even
    more favorable assumption for NASTRAK may be indicated.
    
    Taking the estimate of $1500 per entrant cost, and the allowance of up
    to $1816 per entrant, would project a profit of $94,800 for the minimum
    entry count.  This goes up to around $325k for 500 entrants, or $900k
    for the maximum entry limit.  Not bad business, from the looks of it.
    They structured it so that they could get the money committed from
    entrants before a lot of their capital commitment was required, they
    may well have been able to fund a lot of the capital out of entry money
    already received.  I can't begin to estimate the initial investment nut
    that they had to put up, but I'd be inclined to believe it was fairly
    small.
    
    In any case, it's not too good to be true.  It's really good business,
    because the entrants really get good value and feel satisfied while the
    promoters get a very healthy profit.  I'd love to be in their business
    myself!  (Anybody interested?  I've got ideas on how to do it!)

How about LeMans in a Spice or a 962?

.8>	How about LeMans in a Spice or a 962?
    
    I'd love to.  But I'm still not entirely sure I'd be up to the Mulsanne
    at night!  (Want to talk about overdriving your lights?)

Bruce,

Did you ever get the results?

Did you see the new version? I just read the ad in On-Track. They are
offering a ride in an ARS car now. Similar deal as NASTRAK. The name
is now FASTRAK. For about $2900 you get 48 laps in an ARS car. The
fastest 24 out of 1000 people go to Phoenix and take a Bondurant
driving school. The fastest person then gets an ARS ride for the year!

.10>  Bruce, Did you ever get the results?
    
    Yes, suffice it to say I'm not on my way to Oz...	:-(
    
    Oh, well, it was still worth it.  I didn't memorize the exact details
    but offhand I recall being somewhere about 2/3 of the way down the
    "grid" (which totalled about 500 if my memory is in the ballpark - I'll
    check details and post them, I forgot I hadn't - sorry!).  I do
    remember finding a few familar names on the list, happily a couple were
    beneath mine including one of the Hacker Bros. and also Jim Briody.  So
    I didn't feel embarassed, especially since this was my first time in a
    racecar in over a year!

.10>  Did you see the new version? I just read the ad in On-Track. They are
.10>  offering a ride in an ARS car now. Similar deal as NASTRAK. The name
.10>  is now FASTRAK. For about $2900 you get 48 laps in an ARS car. The
.10>  fastest 24 out of 1000 people go to Phoenix and take a Bondurant
.10>  driving school. The fastest person then gets an ARS ride for the year!
    
    Not new version, just an imitator.  FASTRAK runs a "driving school" at
    Charlotte, in fact they were running when I visited CMS on the day
    before my NASTRAK date.  That was a Winston Cup style car, the NASTRAK
    mechanics told me they were considerably derated unlike NASTRAK's
    equipment, but that may've been a bit biased.  I wasn't surprised to
    see their ad, and I think I spotted another imitator a while back
    (maybe in FAtl?) but I am not sure.
    
    The concept makes a lot of sense.  If you are in the business of racing
    and have the equipment I'm sure that the numbers can be really
    attractive.  Figure 1000 people at $2900 each for a one day test, that
    gives you a cool $2.9 MILLION if you max out on subscriptions.  That
    gives a lot of margin for undersubsrciptions and costs before it
    becomes unprofitable.  I'd be much more leery of doing it in an ARS car
    however, the NASTRAK folks had at least three cars hit the wall at CMS
    and I'm sure it would be more expensive (not to mention possibly
    unhealthy) to do the same in an ARS car.  But still a nifty concept,
    hope the market is big enough for both of them!
    
    PS - Last week I received promo materials from NASTRAK for this year's
    version.  If anyone is interested, contact me, I may be able to get you
    a slightly better deal on it...

>> the NASTRAK folks had at least three cars hit the wall at CMS...

By the way, what did the contract say if you were the driver who hit
the wall? Did you have to pay?

As far as profitability... If I'm right a competative ARS ride will cost 
about

	$25K per race * 12 races = $300K

Give or take $100K. Looks like plenty left for pocket change to me. 
According to the for sale section in On Track, you can pick up an ARS 
car for $45K.

Forget opening a Malibu Grand Prix, I wonder if my brother wants to
rent his Atlantic?????

Hmmmm. All I need now is a figure head and a crew chief.......

As a follow up to this note, what ever happened to the drivers that won search?